Small containers for spices, granular and powdered condiments, vitamin tablets and similar materials have conventionally been provided with a top closure that must be opened before the contents of the container can be dispensed. Although the opening of such a container takes but an instant, it must either be performed with the use of two hands or with a very deft manipulation of the fingers of one hand. When not in use, such a container must be stored on a shelf, counter top or other horizontal surface, often among other generally similar containers which together create a cluttered appearance and intrude upon working space.
Salt and pepper shakers usually have dispensing holes in their tops, and in the interests of convenience they are not provided with caps or closures. When not in use they must be stored with their apertured surfaces uppermost, and, again, they are designed to rest on a horizontal surface. Most salt and pepper shakers are easily knocked over when they rest on a horizontal surface, and the annoying spillage of salt or pepper that results from inadvertently striking such a container is a common experience.
The inconveniences occasioned by the conventional arrangement of containers for granular, powdery and pellet-like materials are of course relatively minor, and because there has been no obvious solution to them, they have come to be accepted as inevitable. These inconveniences are nevertheless frequently encountered, so that their elimination is worthy of attention.